Update on my 100K #ClearMyShelves Giveaway: After doing more research into international shipping of books from the US, I am thrilled to announce that this giveaway is now international! (The only exception is countries where USPS international service is currently suspended.)

So if you're interested in entering the drawing for one of these 10 books, fill out the Google form by June 7, 2024: https://forms.gle/EebWf6hXY9jvR7FN9

June's #bookspin list!

@TheAromaofBooks

And a reminder about my 100K #ClearMyShelves Giveaway, accepting entries until June 7: https://forms.gle/NxzqAKwMKFPSgu33A

May #bookspinbingo card! Nine titles total, one bingo, neither #bookspin nor #doublespin.

@TheAromaofBooks

And a reminder about my #ClearMyShelves giveaway, accepting entries until June 7: https://forms.gle/NxzqAKwMKFPSgu33A

51/100 for me, although I watched so many disaster movies, I might be overestimating. I probably made up for it by forgetting which Pink Panther movies I watched and not marking any.

Faves:
1) The Muppet Movie
2) The Jerk
3) The French Connection

Link to the quiz: https://www.listchallenges.com/litsy-list-of-highest-grossing-movies-of-the-1970...

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

This week, I had my 5-year Litsyversary and I'm right on the cusp of 100,000 Litfluence! To celebrate this convergence of milestones, I'm hosting a #ClearMyShelves giveaway of the ten books pictured (and stealing a hashtag).

Entries open until June 7, 2024, 5pm PDT, open to US and Canada addresses (because I haven't figured out shipping to other locations). Google Form to enter: https://forms.gle/NxzqAKwMKFPSgu33A

I really like the premise behind this novel. It's unique (and quite a treat to read about the US falling from power for reasons other than climate change or zombies), but it didn't quite hit for me in the execution. (Also the narrator gave a Brooklyn accent to a character with a Boston accent, which is a small thing, but it bugs me.)

#CampLitsy24 is discussing this in July, and it turns out I'm Activity Leader for this one on the #CampToB website in August. I'll be following the July discussion led by @Megabooks here on Litsy in addition to developing my own discussion questions!

On the #CampToB site, Part 1 discussion will start August 7, and Part 2 to the end will start August 14, in case you'd like to mark your calendars. I'll plan to post more details as I receive them.

Everett has written an adept, emotionally honest reframe of Twain's story. His skill as an author is in full force with this one. The audiobook was helpful to highlight the code switching. I was thinking, if I hadn't been born and lived all my life so far in the US and could watch as a detached observer how the country responds to the legacy of slavery, I would find it intriguing. But because this country is my home, it's rather more complicated.

64/100 for me. Not too shabby! Just earlier this week I was looking at Rolling Stone's top 500 albums list for my audio technology class. I've got a lock on the Beatles and Radiohead :-)

#TLT #ThreeListThursday
Thanks for the tag, @dabbe !

This Scandinavian thriller is deliberate, quiet, with a feeling of a lot of space, a lot of gray sky, and this sense that in an environment where the climate is harsh and where we rely on fellow humans for reassurance, when something not-reassuring happens, it upends everything. I suspect this happens elsewhere, too, but the Scandinavian thrillers I've read seem to focus on this more than those from North America where the focus is on punishment.

What a weekend! Each day involved 2 hours of teaching (plus prep) and 4-6 hours of animation voiceover workshop. It was awesome, and I learned (and theoretically taught) a lot, but man, am I glad to get to spend some quality time with my Kobo, an aspirational stack of books, and a cold, dry cider before I fall asleep...and start the week over again tomorrow. Come on, summer break! I need you!

I loved Ausubel's No One is Here Except All of Us, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it didn't quite do it for me. The portrayal of lab life is outdated at best, and the character interactions mostly seem...weird to me. The baby mammoth is cute, though, so there's that.

1) OK Computer (Radiohead, 1997)
2) Our Time in Eden (10,000 Maniacs, 1992)
3) How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (Florence + The Machine, 2015)

And lots of other runners-up. :-)

#TLT #ThreeListThursday
@dabbe

Today's #WondrousWednesday inspired me to locate (and collageify) photos of my very first library card. It must have been 1980-1982 when I got it (I was 4 or 5). My signature is actually less legible now than it was then.

1. So many! There was the time we held snakes, the time we interacted with birds of prey, the time my newly potty-trained son peed on the couch in the children's area, the time I organized a kids' ASL class series, the time we signed up for a library coding activity while visiting a city and ended up on their website about the program.
2. Library (but anywhere but Amazon)
3. The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel
#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

There are so many worst songs in the world, but aside from almost every U2 song, one of my least favorite songs is "Freedom" by Paul McCartney.

Today I'm enjoying a mix inspired by a friend's recommendation. There are some awesomely raunchy songs on the mix (think Riot Grrrl x10), but two of the less radio-unfriendly songs:

"Villain" by Bella Poarch https://spotify.link/ucFCLa5ZAJb

"Angry Too" by Lola Blanc https://spotify.link/NBaYOt6ZAJb

I started this one on e-book, continued in hardcover, then finished on audio. It's well written, but I found the recitation of one story after another a little tedious to read at times. I'm giving it a pick because it's beautiful, but I doubt I'll read it again because it's depressing to think about climate change and environmental degradation and how much we as a species have destroyed, even though it's pleasant to spend some time in old woods.

My plan worked! My family got me a color Kobo for Mother's Day and even remembered a sleep cover and threw in a stylus! Now to clear my schedule so I can spend some quality time with my new e-reader. 📚

Soft pick on this one. I'm pretty sure this ended up on my TBR when I was trying to add another novel by the same name, but I figured I'd read this one anyway. The moral of this story seems to be, "It's easier to get into a whale than to get out of one." There are some really yucky bits and some rather on-the-nose metaphors, but I found it an enjoyable listen. Having lived in Monterey as a child, the on-land setting was interesting to me, too.

I can't remember how this book got on my radar, but overall I like it a lot. There's a lot here that resonates with my recent experiences working full-time after a long, long break then choosing to go back to part-time. I think I'm less prone to define myself by my work, but I'm not immune to our culture's take on the virtue of labor. I wish I had a better roadmap for influencing systemic change, but the book provides welcome validation.

My class is working on rough drafts of their mystery stories, so in between answering questions, I can catch up on my re-read of the course text. It's always amusing to me how many tiny details I remember and how many big plot points I forget.

This is an interesting novel. My spouse asked me about it, and I described it as "quiet." When asked to elaborate, I explained that the story unfolds quietly, slowly, haltingly. There are delays, but even in those delays, things happen. It's introspective but is very efficient with the words used to describe that introspection. The tone of the story is paralleled by the feeling of the setting---isolated, remote, cold, foggy. Definitely a mood.

I went to the local bookstore for book club for Clear, but apparently this group is one that periodically just decides not to meet, so I chatted with the bookseller a bit then bought another #camplitsy24 selection. I almost bought Whale Fall, too, before I remembered I'd preordered it from bookshop.org already. That was a near miss!

Next month's selection is The Guest by Emma Cline, so I might try to make it to that one.

I enjoy the way that this story of generational trauma unfolds, even though it's frustrating at times how obtuse the characters can be. They're realistic but maddening in the way that they jump to conclusions and make assumptions and keep secrets that are better revealed. I'm glad to know that "Outback teacher" is a possible career path (although not keen on 45C temps).

Photo: Death Valley NP, California

April #bookspinbingo card. No bingos again this month, but I'm not surprised as between work, school, volunteer stuff, and just regular life, I have had very limited reading time. And it turns out I completely forgot the title of one of the books I read, so I put it on my May list, thinking I hadn't read it (even though I read and loved it, I forgot the title). This is where my brain is at this moment in time. 🙄

@TheAromaofBooks

Anyone can whittle!

The book on the far left is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

I find this library display delightful and kind of hilarious.

This one is a fairly fun if a little bland Christie mystery. Poirot is back yet again, but he seems a little tired. I guess it's good he's staying busy and keeping his mind sharp, and growing marrows in the country wasn't his thing, but he tries to retire and people just keep bothering him. Maybe he could open a school to teach younger generations to solve mysteries and grow elaborate mustaches so they can fend for themselves eventually.

I ignored the imperative of the title of my textbook and did May's #bookspinbingo card first. Now I'll wrestle with chords until my next class.

@TheAromaofBooks

Finally posting for #TuesdayTunes!

The final project for my audio tech class involves composing and mixing a (mostly) electronic song, so I've been listening to Daft Punk for ideas for how to layer different sounds. So far, I like their first album (Homework) better than their later albums. https://spotify.link/56S3xu2deJb

@TieDyeDude

May #bookspin list! I finished it while having lunch in my car between classes. I kind of wish there were a couple more days in April so I could finish another book or two before jumping into May. I'll have to write a letter to my elected officials about this potential calendar change.

@TheAromaofBooks

Well, #sdbookcrawl is over, and I didn't collect any prizes, but I did get a second book for #CampLitsy24 today! And I found out that my local indie bookstore is having a book club about this one in May...quite tempting!

I casually mentioned the existence of the new color Kobo e-readers to my spouse, alongside the casual mention of the dates of Mother's Day, my birthday, our anniversary (I'm pretty sure 25th is traditionally the e-reader anniversary), and Christmas.

Now, we wait.

(And then we get antsy and casually send him the link to the Kobo website, just to be on the safe side.)

(Photo from the Kobo website, in case that wasn't apparent.)

It's a tie between The Iliad and The Odyssey (4 each), although I guess it's maybe different than "copies" since they're all different translations/interpretations. Not counting audiobooks, the next closest are Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, Feeding the Whole Family, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, and Roget's Thesaurus (2 editions each).

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

If you've listened to the author on Ezra Klein's podcast, you probably got pretty much all you need from the book, although the final chapter on the limitations of marriage is really interesting. Cohen's picture of intimate platonic friendships challenges paradigms, but I feel a little like I'm learning about a different species as this type of friendship, although appealing, is not one I've experienced personally, and I'm not sure how it happens.

One bookstore, one book for #CampLitsy24! It's the closest to my house and the farthest from all the others. We'll see if I can visit some more tomorrow and Monday. Maybe I can rope my home-from-college kid into going with me. At least one of these is near a cupcake shop, which will perhaps sweeten the deal. 🧁

I used to buy books rarely, almost exclusively getting them from the library, but during the pandemic I started buying them, and now it's getting out of hand. I mentioned this to my spouse, who noted that I've been getting books from the library again. "You're not buying them anymore, right? You just have the ones we own to pare down?"

All I can say is that I must be giving books away fairly well, if he hasn't noticed that we keep getting more.

Hey, SoCal Littens! Anyone want to coordinate meeting up during the San Diego Book Crawl this weekend (April 27-29)? If you're interested in trying to coordinate time/bookstore, you can message me on Instagram (@ctlvoiceover or @imperfecthappiness), and we can exchange contact info (or if you're comfortable sharing your email in comments here, I can email you.)

Psyche and Eros has been a favorite myth of mine for quite a while. I even worked on my own retelling a few years ago, but I couldn't quite get to the bottom of the emotional truths I was trying to convey. This is a solid retelling, and I like how McNamara puts it in the context of Greek history, but while it incorporates ideas from recent retellings of other myths (Achilles, Medusa), I'm not sure it adds much of a new perspective on the story.

1. I feel like I'm on the edge of doing something cool and creative and potentially cathartic, although I don't know yet what that might be. Maybe just a butternut squash soup innovation or something related to chord progressions (like maybe learning how they work).
2. Camille and Silo!
3. Great horned owl (in a place where they don't use poison on rodents) or a barn swallow.
4. Done!
#MotivationalMonday @Cupcake12

Cultivating an aesthetic for my language arts class this morning.

I found the mc pretty annoying for most of the book, the family/friends dynamic is foreign to me (I can't imagine having a friend I'm close enough with that they could be my hospice caregiver or vice versa), and I have a bias against books about people from NYC (I'm just sick of them), but even with all of those things, this is a beautifully written book. The portrayal of death, loss, and grief feel true to me. Now I need to read something light.

This list shifts frequently, but three of my faves:

1. Frances McDormand (esp Fargo and Raising Arizona).
2. Shirley Maclaine (esp Steel Magnolias and Terms of Endearment)
3. Kate Winslet (esp Heavenly Creatures, Little Children)

(And Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, LOTR). And Jennifer Aniston (specifically in Office Space and Cake and not in Friends). Couldn't help sneaking in a couple more!)

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

I'm glad I left enough time to dry my eyes and blow my nose after listening to this on my ride to class today. And that I didn't decide to wear mascara today. Oof. I might wait until I get home to listen to the rest so I'm not driving and crying.

I. Experiencing new places.
II. Patterns of behavior that no longer serve me.
III. My family (my spouse, my kids, homeschooling for so many years, the adventures we've had, and the parenting improvements I've made compared to the previous generations in my family of origin).

Great questions, @Eggs ! #WondrousWednesday

1) Resting in Uncertainty (alternate: That Was Fast. What Now?)

2) It's not specifically what I would do at this point in my life (biking solo 10,000+ miles), but I love the way Sara Dykman lives her values.

#TwoForTuesday @TheSpineView

#motivationalmonday

1. Between paid work, volunteer work, and school work, I have SO MUCH to do. And my son has a band concert Wednesday, so that's fun.

2. The dusty table and chairs on my back patio.

3. Southern California. Kind of chilly for April, but reasonably sunny.

4. I'm not really liking this one.

@Cupcake12

This novel reminded me of Stephen King's short story, "The Raft." Smith does a great job conveying tension and peril, along with what being in these conditions brings out in people (spoiler: it's mostly negative). Not all of the characters are distinct personalities. The two main guys and the two main women seem interchangeable, and I kept mixing them up. Matthias is an individual, and perhaps the only likeable character in the novel.

I got done with this book, and my spouse asked me how it was. I said it was cute, there was torture, and I could see it being made into a movie without much modification. "I don't plan on reading it, so don't worry about spoiling it for me," he said, encouraging me to say more. I shrugged. "I don't like it enough to say more." If I loved it or hated it, I'd have more to say. As our teen son says, this one was mid.

So, here's a Zion NP waterfall.

Overall I enjoyed this novel. I especially like the way Harper writes relationships and manipulation. Two things reduced my enjoyment, though: One is that sometimes characters' reactions are written as though they're obvious when they aren't to me (possibly a cultural thing?). The other is that solving the mysteries hangs on happenstance and intuition a little more than I'd prefer. I won't say more about that, but it's something I found annoying.

I'm still on vacation in my heart. Death Valley National Park isn't my favorite desert park (and I wouldn't want to visit May through October), but it's certainly unique. I feel like the landscape goes with the title of the tagged book, which I started today.